


'Til the morning light

by casey_sms (shinygreenwords), shinygreenwords



Category: The Social Network
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 22:43:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/casey_sms, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/shinygreenwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No contract!AU. <i>Mark knows. He doesn’t understand but he knows that Eduardo doesn’t love him. But Eduardo is with him anyway. He tells himself that it’s enough.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	'Til the morning light

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this prompt](http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/1522.html?thread=2713842#t2713842) at the [](http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/profile)[**tsn_kinkmeme**](http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/): Eduardo pretends to be in love with Mark so he won't get left behind.
> 
> Title taken from 'Samson' by Regina Spektor. I've already done a contract AU [fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/179253) to this song but I like this combo a lot. The song is all about retelling the story of a betrayal into a love story after all O:) This time it's Mark who's betrayed.

Mark knows. He doesn’t understand but he knows that Eduardo doesn’t love him. But Eduardo is with him anyway. He tells himself that it’s enough. Eduardo has chosen him. One day, Eduardo will choose his father over him. Mark wishes that Eduardo would at least choose himself. It’s stupid to want someone’s approval that you’ll never have. It’s stupid to need to please someone to feel like you mean something. Eduardo means something to Mark, he means a lot to Mark but Mark is not his father. Mark knows he’s better than Mr Saverin, he’s smarter and he has so much more potential but it will never matter. He is not family, flesh and blood.

It’s only a matter of time.

Between his father and Mark, who will hurt Eduardo more? Mark wishes that he could say for sure that he’s not worse but he doesn’t know, he’ll never know and everyday he is with Eduardo is another day of him being selfish. He knows he’s selfish. That he’s opportunistic. He’s not a really good friend but he tries. It still won’t change anything.

He’s not stupid and self-blaming like Eduardo. He doesn’t think its fault. In fact, Mark is almost a hundred percent sure that there is nothing he can do about it. Nothing more he can do. You can’t make someone love you. Mark loves Eduardo and tells him this in a hundred ways everyday. He hasn’t said the actual words yet because it seems kind of awkward but Mark is sure he says it in the way he looks at Eduardo, in the way he won’t let Sean walk over him because he knows it bothers Eduardo. In the way he leans ever so slightly into Eduardo’s touch. Maybe Eduardo thinks that if he has sex with Mark, Mark won’t notice that he never says it. Eduardo looks up at him desperate and defiant and Mark tells himself that maybe this is the way Eduardo loves.

This is the way it’s always been between them – everything or nothing.

*

At the million member party, Sean says around a generous sip of a margarita, “It’s all a lie and it’s going to come down like a house of cards.”

Mark knows this too. “You’re wasted, Sean.”

“You know he just fucks you for the shares.”

Mark stares blankly. “I didn’t know that, tell me more.”

Sean says carefully, “He doesn’t love you. He’s just using you.” He enunciates like Mark is stupid.

There’s a long pause.

“And?”

Sean shrugs. “Your funeral.”

“Go home Sean.”

That night, Mark will get a phone call from Sean.

“I’m done with you,” Mark will say.

Then he hangs up on him and goes back to bed where it’s warm and safe next to Wardo.

*

“C’mon Mark,” Eduardo comes up from behind Mark, squeezing his shoulder firmly but gently. “It can wait.”

Mark pushes himself away. It’s hard. The number are still going through his mind, strings of code pulling together like pulleys turning gears but he tears himself away. He rubs his eyes, bringing them to focus on Eduardo. “Yeah, it can wait.”

He can feel opportunities slipping away. Opportunity costs. Wardo would know about that.

He lets Eduardo push him down on the bed. The morning light is spilling from the window.

They make sweet love, Eduardo rocking into him and Mark opening for him, holding onto him like if he holds him hard enough, he won’t have to let him go. And when Mark comes with Wardo’s hand on his dick, he lets out a shuddering half sob. He will blame it on being tired, on being strung out for so long, on being one of the youngest CEOs ever and the pressure getting to him, he’s tired, so tired.

“I love you too,” Eduardo says softly in reply.

Mark looks at him sadly. The silence is too long. “No, you don’t.” He pauses. “But thanks for saying it.”

Eduardo stiffens and sits up. “What?”

Mark climbs out of bed, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin. He can’t be so close to Wardo right now. He gets up to go to the safe and spins the dial so it clicks open. There’s a file inside which he hands to Eduardo.

“Here are the papers. You can have half of my shares. You deserve it. This is what you wanted right? You didn’t have to- have to pretend. You won’t have to anymore. I’m sorry I t-took advantage of you.” His voice is not as steady as he’d like and he doesn’t want to look at Eduardo but he can’t look away.

“What?” Eduardo’s mouth falls slack and the denial Mark wishes for never comes.

Eduardo begins to apologize but Mark doesn’t want to hear it. That way he can hold on to the idea that Eduardo didn’t mean to, he didn’t know. Maybe he thought Mark was faking too. But Mark knew. He’d always known. He knew what Eduardo had done. He knew Eduardo wasn’t sorry and he’d do it again. He would have forgiven him anyway. He would have loved him anyway. He still does.

Mark vision is blurring and he knows he won’t be able to hold it together, not for long. He chokes out, “I wanted it to be real.”

It’s Mark’s place but Mark is the one who runs.

*

When he returns, when he dares to return, he feels instinctively that Eduardo is gone. The only thing left of Wardo is the jacket he has on. He doesn’t know whether to be grateful Wardo never left much behind like he never planned to stay for long, or to be angry that Wardo took everything of his back. Like it is that easy.

It’s as if he imagined it all.

The sheets still smell like him.

*

He slips back into bed. Eduardo is drunk – on alcohol but also on the success of a million members. He gropes clumsily at Mark, eyes unfocused. He slides his hand under the waistband and Mark stops him.

“Let me.”

He lies down beside Eduardo and jerks him off slowly, leisurely, savoring the half-lidded look of lust Eduardo gives him. Eduardo lies back, saying his name over and over, coming apart with just his hand on him. Eduardo thanks him with a smile before he passes out.

Eduardo’s mouth is slightly open and he’s snoring softly. Mark cleans him up carefully even though he knows nothing will wake Eduardo now.

“I think- I could be happy loving you. If you let me.”

He’s okay. He’s known for a long time now. He loves Eduardo. He’s in love with Eduardo. Time does not matter. If he were to write it all out, input all the values, he is sure that it will always return true.

Mark watches Eduardo slumber, saving each breath into the code of his being. Sleep can wait.

>  _And he told me that I'd done alright  
>  And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light  
> And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light…_
> 
>  _You are my sweetest downfall  
>  I loved you first - _['Samson'](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/reginaspektor/samson.html) by Regina Spektor

  



End file.
